Several species from the genus Bauhinia L. have peculiar bilobate leaves, which render the common name pata-de-vaca (cow’s hoof). Among them, it is found B. variegata L., from Asian origin and extensively grown as ornamental. In folk medicine, as other allied representatives, this species is used as anti-inflammatory, diuretic and hypoglycemic agent. This investigation has aimed to carry out the morpho-anatomical diagnosis of the leaf and stem of B. variegata, contributing to macro and microscopic identification for the pharmacognostic quality control, and compare the morphological characters between samples from subtropical and cerrado regions. The samples were prepared according to standard light and scanning microtechniques. In both samples, the leaf is amphistomatic, having predominantly paracytic stomata. The epidermis is uniseriate and coated with striate cuticle and epicuticular wax plates. Non-glandular trichomes, uni- and multicellular, coated with granular cuticle are present. The mesophyll tends to be palisade homogeneous and the midrib has a collateral vascular bundle in open arc, encircled by a sclerenchymatic sheath. The young stem shows uniseriate epidermis, annular-angular collenchyma, cortical parenchyma, a phloem cylinder external to the xylem one, and parenchymatic pith. Idioblasts having crystals or phenolic compounds are found in the leaf and stem. In general, the morpho-anatomical characters observed in samples from the subtropical region are similar to those from the cerrado, except for the higher frequency of phenolic idioblasts found in the former.